Let’s face it choosing just 20 songs to sum up our year of music listening is pretty ridiculous, not only in the context of EVERYTHING that was released but also in relation to the vast array of music we’ve actually heard and enjoyed too. That said, there are quite a few tracks that have received more repeated plays and love than others during the last twelve months – and we are almost obliged to curate a list lest our music critique licence be revoked! So below is an unranked summary of the most played and best loved releases here at FUF in 2025
Turnstile “Never Enough” (Roadrunner)
This triumphant grunge-gaze alt-rock blast showed the band pushing beyond hardcore punk into widescreen emotional intensity. Its infectious energy and genuine heart gained the band exposure far beyond its genres typical community and set about entertaining the mainstream masses.
Ethel Cain “Punish” (Daughters of Cain)
A haunting slowcore/ambient piece whose stark droning atmosphere married music with filmic sound design and cast a long, doomed shadow. It set a dark tone and was the perfect and powerful opening glimpse of her 2025 album Perverts.
Chappell Roan “The Subway” (Amusement/Island Records)
Chappell Roan’s flair for dramatic, theatrical pop-rock is well known but even in that context this track stands out for its unadulterated, raw vulnerability and cinematic storytelling. She really knows how to tug on those earnest heartstrings and as a result made “The Subway” one of 2025’s most emotionally potent singles.
Momma “I Want You (Fever)” (Polyvinyl)
Momma’s “Welcome to my Blue Sky” was an album full of yearning and gritty indie-rock. This single released back in February, presses their foot on the accelerator when it came to capturing the push-pull tension of desire and uncertainty. It instantly became a live favourite and a standout in Momma’s catalogue.
caroline “Total Euphoria” (Rough Trade)
Shimmering, melancholic mix of folk, post-rock and emo feels that blends dreamy instrumentation with a bittersweet vibe. Drawn from their much lauded “caroline 2” album this is mood music full of invention, capable of surprising the listener. It feels particularly attuned to grappling with the cutting emotional resonance of a year like 2025.
Blondshell “23’s a Baby” (Partisan)
One of many highlights to drop from Blondshell’s album “If You Asked For a Picture” this particular song, and it’s accompanying fun video, blends Teitelbaum’s sardonic and expressive alt-rock sound with cutting lyrics. She makes sounding nonchalant seem effortless while also driving home on aspects of life, womanhood and acknowledging her place in the world, within the context of her life in music.
Highschool “Dipped” (PIAS)
Laid back hazy, lo-fi indie music from the Aussie duo’s debut album. Its understated charm and synth infused minimalism give it a quiet, lingering power worthy of deeper critical attention. They drew from a wealth of 80’s and 90’s influences but managed to update them fresh for a new generation and captured the tone beautifully.
TTSSFU “Call U Back” (Partisan)
Wigan born and Manchester based Tasmin Stephen’s wraps her vocals around an instant classic addition to the indie/shoegaze cannon. It’s an emotionally tangled song that captures modern relational uncertainty and the ache of wanting connection. Underrated in many ways yet rightfully gaining enough attention, live and also in print, in all of the right places to suggest she’s here to stay for the long haul. The lo-fi aesthetic is far more than a gimmicky hook it’s an expression her soul and it builds anticipation for everything to come.
Nilüfer Yanya “Kneel” (Ninja Tune)
This lush, introspective and whispered piece with haunting vocals and nuanced instrumentation, shows off Yanya’s talent for blending intimacy and sonic depth. Even on an album like “Dancing Shoes”, full of wonderfully arranged songs, it manages to set itself aside as a subtle, heart wrenching tune full of wonderfully and grace.
Burial “Comafields” (Hyperdub)
Brooding atmospherics and samples collide over a more beat acclimated foundation in a tonal shift for Burial beyond the more hushed sounds of his recent catalogue. “Comafields” recalls the club roots and meshes together this immersive electronic track that feels claustrophobic rather than euphoric, warping the listener in its textures. As compelling as ever it’s fine example of ambient experimentation.
Japanese Breakfast “Mega Circuit” (Dead Oceans)
This languid, almost sun kissed, guitar-driven song showcased a band with invigorating momentum. Japanese Breakfast’s moodier direction was captured in seemingly juanty piece of tightly honed indie rock. It’s a song that could’ve seemed quite unremarkable were it not for the twisting melodies and delightful songwriting of Michelle Zauner and her knack for capturing a feeling with soft strumming and aching lyrics.
ROSALÍA “Berghain” Ft. Björk & Yves Tumor (Columbia)
“Berghain” is a daring fusion of avant-pop and experimental sounds, this collaboration pushes so many boundaries musically for an artist traditionally planted in the pop sphere but Rosalía has clearly been building towards this moment and the album “LUX” from which it’s pulled. The orchestration feels massive, and the features push and pull the track into unexpected directions. One of the stand out tracks of 2025’ stylistically. Across any genre it’s bold and striking.
Saya Gray “Thus Is Why (I Don’t Spring 4 Love)” (Dirty Hit)
Saya, the album, stepped up the cohesive way Gray collated her magpie methods of art-pop/folk without jettisoning her skilled experimentation. This track is a moody, atmospheric composition capturing heartbreak and disillusionment with evocative lyricism and a euphoric sound. Carefully nuanced and emotionally resonant.
Westside Cowboy “Shells” (Nice Swan/Hit or Heist)
Westside Cowboy have experienced a rapid rise this year with their raw and rough-edged authenticity. “Shells” takes the nod on the best of their releases this far purely down to the way it begins with delicate intertwined vocals and soft strumming guitars before launching off the cliff with a blistering rock sound representative of their live shows. It embodies the bands spirit perfectly and that of a thriving indie scene with the Cowboys leading the charge .
Dutch Interior “Fourth Street” (Fat Possum)
The LA sextet mix their slowcore aesthetics with a country feel and step up from their slacker vibe to write an introspective track with wistful melodies and emotional weight. This alternative rock track from their “Moneyball” album is an understated highlight in gentle songwriting and seemingly effortless heartstring pulling.
Narel “Tired Mountain Syndrome (Original Mix)” (Forescape Digital)
The original mix of this hypnotic, dreamy trance track, uses Platipus label inspired sounds, layered synths, and is indicative of the deep / atmospheric trance genre. Classic in feel but decidedly progressive in its tight execution, with plenty of ambient and synth house leanings.
Beatrice Dillon “Basho” (Portraits GRM)
An We’ve long been a fan of Dillon’s exploration of abstract and experimental sounds and this feels like a career high point. The producers minimalist electronic composition is a mesmerising 20 minute journey that deconstructs techno and reforms it that transforms it with a daring, cerebral investigation. It does challenge listener expectations and runs on repetition but it’s also a deep, unparalleled meditative listen.
Perfume Genius “It’s A Mirror” (Matador)
Perfume Genius has never shied away from emotional exposure, and “It’s A Mirror” finds Mike Hadreas trapped in a loop of self-imposed isolation and inward collapse. Written from a place of withdrawal, the song circles dark thoughts until they become suffocating. Set to a bruised, twang-tinged Americana backdrop, Hadreas’ performance is stark and self-lacerating, turning solitude into something both corrosive and achingly intimate. It’s a quietly devastating highlight of his year.
Kneecap ft. Mozey “The Recap” (Heavenly Recordings)
Kneecap’s “The Recap” is less a victory lap than a Molotov cocktail lobbed straight back at anyone still underestimating them. Over a beat that’s all blunt force and bad intentions, the Belfast trio tear through Irish-language bars with snarling wit, political bite and a comic instinct for the killer line. It’s a manifesto disguised as a piss-take, collapsing satire and sincerity into the same breath. Kneecap’s mission statement is unfiltered and ferociously unapologetic proving that their cultural provocation hits just as hard as their hooks.
Ethel Cain “Nettles” (Daughters of Cain)
Not content with releasing one album this year (Punish) Ethel Cain also dropped the sprawling “Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You” as a narrative prelude to her debut album “Preachers Daughter”. It sought to recontextualise the lyrical lore of its predecessor with emotive, passionate songs sowing seeds of resentment and guilt in amongst the waves of misplaced love. “Nettles” was a devastating piece of slowcore Americana and detailed storytelling in an album full of all these things and much more.